Acetylene-generator.



M. L. WILLIAMS. ACETYLENE GENERATOR.

APPHCATION FILED MAY 1. 1916.

Patented May 1, 1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I :H/ x n R o T N E V m WITNESSES A'ITO RNEY M. L. WILLIAMS.

ACETYLENE GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 9H5.

1,224,829, Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES WEWZW v ATTORNEY MILFORD LEROY WILLIAMS, F REVERE, MISSOURI.

ACETYLENE-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May ll, wilt...

Application filed May 1,1916. Serial no. aacaa,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILFORD L. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Revere, in the county of Clark and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful AcetyleneGenerator, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention has reference to acetylene generators and its object is to prevent the escape of gas from a generator while recharging the carbid. receptacle with calcium carbid.

In accordance with the present invention there is a casing designed to contain a suitable quantity of water with a carbid receptacle above the water level and a gas bell also above the water level and both contained within the same casing. The gas bell is pro vided with a liquid seal, and the casing above the gas bell and its liquid seal has a removable cover for access to the gas bell, and provision is made for sustaining the gas bell higher than the feeding position when the carbid chamber is being supplied with calcium carbid.

Provision is made for the feeding of the carbid as the supply of acetylene gas becomes used up, such feeding being under the control of the lowering movement of the gas bell, so that as the supply of gas becomes low a fresh supply is formed by the release of additional quantities of carbid to the water within the casing.

The generator is also provided with means for removing sludge and means for drawing off and replenishing the water as may be needed.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following. detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this'specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawlngs :A

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of the generator, some parts being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the generator with some parts broken away to disclose more distant parts.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with some parts omitted.

ig. 4 is a detail view showing the'position of the feed valve for the carbid chamber when in the feeding position.

The generator'is adapted to be buried in the ground outside of a building to a depth exposing only the top portion of the generator, or it may be installed in a suitable building.

There is provided a casing 1 of suitable size both as to height, length and breadth, and as certain partswithin the casing are arranged side by side the said casing is made elliptical in cross-section so that it may be considerably longer than wide.

Extending through one side of the casing is a pipe 2 rising to a suitable height and there provided with a valve 3 and a funnel 4, the latter being designed to direct water poured into it to the pipe 2 and so into the casing 1.

The top of the casing is provided with a division wall 5 separating that portion of the easing into two chambers 6, 7, respectively. The wall 5 is in de ending relation to the top of the casing an terminates at a web 8 having a central passage 9 therethrough with a surrounding wall 10 spaced from the division wall 5 and the side walls of the casing to provide a liquid chamber 11. The Wall 10 rises but a part of the distance from the web 8 to the top of the casing, entering into the chamber 7. The liquid receptacle 11 is designed to receive a gas bell 12, the liquid in the chamber 11 constituting a seal, and gas enters the bell through the opening 9 and by Way of a tubular duct formed by the Wall 10. Entering the duct 10 is a pipe 13 carried below the web 8 and through the corresponding side wall of the casing 1, the pipe 13 constituting the service pipe of the generator.

The top of the casing above the chamber 7 is in the form of a lid 14 connected to the casing by a hinge 15 adjacent to the wall 5, and at the other end provided with lock mechanism 16 of any suitable construction for holding the lid shut. There is no particular necessity for the lid 14 to fit snugly,

since the gas bell and its liquid seal prevents the escape of gas into the chamber 7. Extending across the chamber 7 is a rod 18 adapted to receive a hook 19 on one end of a chain 20, the other end of which is made fast to the bell 12, so that on occasion the gas bell may be suspended by the chain 20 and then cannot reach the low position to which it may ordinarily travel on the exhaustion of the gas suppl A relief valve 21 is carried by the gas ell to permit the escape of as therefrom when as occasionally occurs it 1s desirable to clean out the generator.

The chamber 6 is provided with a removable cover member 22 held in place by bolts 23, or by other suitable means, and the junction of the cover 22 with the casing 1 to which it is secured is rendered gas tight by a suitable gasket 24. The cover 22 is provided with a filling neck 25'and a screw plug 26, so that on the removal of the plug a sup ly of carbid may be directed through the nec 25.

Within the chamber 6 near the cover 22 are brackets or lugs 27 made fast to the wall of the casing 1 and to the wall 5 and designed to support a carbid receptacle 28, which latter is provided with a marginal flange 29 to rest upon the brackets 27. The carbid receptacle 28 is formed with a funnel bottom portion 30 terminating in an escape opening 31 for the carbid with the opening 31 surmounted by a shield 32 having passages 33 to permit carbid to move from within the receptacle to the opening 31 and escape therefrom. The shield 32 is designed to contain a valve 34 in the form of a substantially cylindrical weight having a taper end 35 adapted to enter and close the passage 31, the valve 34 readily gravitating to the closed position because of its weight. The valve as so far described is of a form often used in acetylene generators, and So needs no particular description as to its mode of operation.

The lower end of the taper portion 35 is formed with an expanding socket 36 Widening toward the bottom open end.

Within the tubular duct 10 is a cross bar 37 with a perforation for the passage of a rod 38 terminating in a head 39 located in the path of the crown of the bell 12. The rod 38 is upright and at its lower end is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 40 carried by a hanger 41 depending from the wall 8. The other end of the lever extends to a point beneath the socket 36 and there carries a finger 42 ivoted to it and entering the socket 36. T e finger is maintained in a normally upright position by means of a weight 43 below the lever 40. The rod 38 is sufficiently heavy to overbalance the weighted finger 42 and so maintain the finger 42 at all times within the socket 36.

Considering the generator as free from carbid and gas and that it is desired to start it into operation, the cover 12 is lifted and the gas bell is hung from the rod 18 by means of the hook l9 and chain 20, and liquid is introduced into the liquid sealing chamber 11 to an appropriate depth. Water aaaaeaa is fed into the casing through the funnel 4 and pipe 2 to an appropriate depth and cal- Now the bell 12 is released by removing the hook 19 from the rod 18 and immediately falls, pushing downwardly upon the rod 38, which through the lever 40 raises the gravity valve 34, the bell 12 being heavy enough for the purpose. The calcium car bid falling into the water in the bottom of the casing is converted into acetylene gas in the customary Way, and such gas accumulates until it has pressure enough to raise the bell higher than the rod 38, thus permitting the gravity valve 34 to drop into closing position with respect to the carbid chamber. Either before this has occurred, or after it has occurred, the hook 19 is removed from the rod 18 and the cover 12 is closed and locked in place. Now, after the air has been driven from the casing 1 and the service pipes, the generator will deliver acetylene gas to the service pipes, drawing on the supply within the gas bell until the supply becomes sufii'ciently depleted to cause the gas bell to lower until it again engages the rod 38 and the valve 34 is opened causing the delivery of an additional supply of carbid into the Water in the bottom of the casing and the evolution of an additional quantity of gas. The operation of the generator follows the ordinary procedure of acetylene generators, and requires no particular description.

In the course of time the supply of carbid within the receptacle -28 gives out, and it is necessary to replenishit, which is done in the manner already described.

Sooner or later the quantity of sludge accumulating in the bottom of the casing 1 is such as to demand its removal, whereupon an agitator 44 at the bottom of the casing is operated by means of a handle 45 exterior to the casing and the stirred up material is withdrawn through a valve 46 also at the bottom of the casing. Additional water is poured into the casing through the funnel 4 of the opening of the valve 3 to replenish that withdrawn with the sludge.

Since the generator is designed for installation out of doors, there would be danger of damage by freezing, in cold weather, of water if used in the chamber 11 for sealing the gas bell. Therefore, kerosene or some other liquid which will not freeze under weather conditions to which li)t1is subjected is used for sealing the gas What is claimed is 1. An acetylene generator, comprising a casing for containing a supply of water for the reduction of calcium carbid and having adjacent chambers in its upper portion above the water level, with one chamber containing a carbid receptacle and the other containing a gas bell with a liquid seal therein, and with the gas bell freely open to the interior of the casing below the liquid seal,

a flat cover of an area corresponding to that of the casing and composed of two parts, one in normally fixed sealed relation to the portion of the casing overlying the carbid receptacle, and the other part being hinged to the first part of the cover and normally overlying the chamber containing the gas bell, means for discharging carbid from the carbid receptacle having a part in 0perative relation to the gas bell, and suspension means for the gas bell within the chamber containing the gas bell, whereby the latter'may be suspended in inoperative position when it is desired to renew the supply of carbid.

2. An acetylene generator, comprising a casing with a fiat top formed of two memhers, one in normally fixed sealed relation to the casing and the other hinged to the first member and readily movable into and out of covering relation to the corresponding portion of the casing, said casing having an. interior u right wall depending from the cover and a horizontal wall continued from the lower end of the upright wall and together with the latter defining a chamber, a carbid receptacle in the casing in part supported thereby and in part supported by the up right wall, a gas bell in the chamber formed by the two walls and provided with a liquid seal and also communicating with the interior of the casing below the chamber containing the bell, means for discharging carbid from the carbid receptacle having a part in operative relation to the gas bell, and suspending means for the gas bell within the chamber containing the bell, whereby the bell may be held in inoperative position when it is desired to renew the cal-bid in the carbid receptacle located in the casing ex- 1lgeifior to the chamber containing the gas In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ali'ixed my signature 111 the presence of two witnesses.

MILFORD LEROY WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

W. EPPERHART, En VANWESDULL. 

